Rondo of the Dead
by Anivla01
Summary: This is the story of the people we never knew. The people we never heard about, never cared about. This is the story of those who died.


**Disclaimer****:** I don't own Sword Art Online.

* * *

/_Rondo of the Dead_/

**A**

They believe they can pretend.

* * *

**B**

Today was the day.

Today was the day I was supposed to be immersed in a world unlike any other.

Today was the day I was supposed to be happy.

But it was not meant to be.

I stand there, uncomprehending.

"This is a joke, right?" I hear someone whisper.

I wish that I can believe that. I wish.

But this is not a joke.

This is a world that an evil genius created to keep us trapped as he watches us play for his own amusement.

This is real life.

But I wish with all of my heart.

I wish that I can believe that this world is a joke, a trick.

I wish.

_This is my imagination_, I tell myself, _I refuse to believe that this world is real._

And, miraculously, I begin to believe.

I find an inn.

_This is all a dream._

I pay for a room.

_ I'll wake up in a few seconds and laugh it off._

I lay in my bed.

_I'm imagining this_.

I curl up.

_No, _my mind rebels,_ This is real._

I can't take it any more.

I give in to my despair.

* * *

**A  
**

They believe they can survive.

* * *

**C**

I laugh it off.

"That's impossible," I tell my friends, "No one would let Kayaba do that."

"Live, fight, and die," I yell for the world to hear, " as if this isn't real."

Because it isn't.

Because it can't be.

Because the truth is that Kayaba is crazy.

The truth is that the world is crazy.

No one believes me.

No one wants to risk it.

No one can see the truth.

But I can.

I walk out of the city. I take a deep breath.

I'm not nervous.

Not at all.

A boar comes running out of nowhere and slams into me.

There is no pain, but I still shiver.

_Just more proof that this isn't real_, I tell myself, _just more proof._

The boar paws the ground and snorts. It turns and comes running straight at me again.

I wait for it, arms thrown out to the side.

My HP bar begins to drop.

Every time the boar hits, every time the bar depletes, I wince as if in real physical pain.

Am I in pain? I can't tell any more.

My HP drops agonizingly slowly. The longer it takes, the more doubt I have.

What if I'm wrong? What if I die?

But it's too late to turn back.

The bar drops to nothing.

* * *

**A**

Naught but death will solve their problems,

* * *

**D**

My knees buckle.

I fall.

I can't even feel the impact of my legs hitting the ground.

I'm looking up. Staring. Staring blankly, uncomprehendingly, at the blood red cloak floating in the sky.

I can almost hear a smile emanating from the darkness beyond the hood. Kayaba Akihiko smiles, and the blood seeps back up, defying the laws of gravity, the laws of his own world.

Kayaba leaves, and I sit there, broken.

I can't move.

My ribs clench painfully around my lungs. An ear splitting scream pierces the outraged shouting of the town center. All is silent except for that scream. I realize that it's me.

I can't breathe.

The scream continues.

This isn't happening.

This _can't_ be happening.

I find solace in the air.

* * *

**A**

In this Rondo of the Dead.

* * *

**AN:**

_They believe they can pretend.  
_

_They believe they can survive._

_Naught but death will solve their problems,  
_

_In this Rondo of the Dead._

Personally, I don't think this is my best work. Neither is this my worst, I suppose. Just... leaning on the side of the worse. But this was begging to be written, so... here you go, I guess.

POV change for each short section, if you can't tell.

ABACADA is the way a rondo is organized, by the way.

I'm well aware that most people who wanted to find out if you went back to the real world by dying in Aincrad didn't stand in the way of a pseudo slime and watch their HP drop. No, they jumped. _I_ know that. My writing muse doesn't.

In Part **D**, "I find solace in the air." means that she jumped off of Aincrad. I'm such a pleasant person.

Hm... I feel like I didn't communicate the actual emotions all that well. I tried. I rewrote a few. Completely ruined the flow of the writing.

Any constructive criticism to help?

Ja ne!~


End file.
